Can Caldwell mastermind another Man City FA Cup shock?

If anyone can mastermind an FA upset over Manchester City, then Exeter City manager Gary Caldwell might be the man you turn to.

The 43-year-old knows what it takes to stop the singing of Blue Moon, having been at Wigan Athletic when they beat City in the 2013 final, before they repeated the feat in the quarter-finals the following season.

"I remember the game plan being very good," reminisced Caldwell, when asked about Wigan's 1-0 win at Wembley in 2013.

The Scot was an unused substitute after failing to recover from injury, but, as Wigan club captain, he lifted the trophy at Wembley alongside Emmerson Boyce.

It capped the the greatest day in the club's history, as they went on to become the first side to win the FA Cup and then get relegated in the same season.

Fifteen places and 42 points separated City and Wigan in the Premier League that season, but it was the Latics who proved worthy winners.

Having run City close in the Premier League four weeks earlier, losing 1-0 at the Etihad Stadium, Roberto Martinez repeated his tactical approach under the Wembley arch.

Lining up in a 3-4-1-2, Wigan's wing-backs stayed high up the pitch to attack, while the three centre-backs and centre midfielders remained narrow denying any space when City tried to play through them.

City defender Joleon Lescott admitted, "it just threw us... no-one had done what Wigan were doing."

"I remember players believing in it and committing to it and we deserved to win the game," Caldwell added.

"We were the better team on the day and players performed to their very best level - it wasn't a cup game where you rode your luck and you scraped through to win the game, we had a clear game plan that could hurt Man City.

"It's no different now. We have to be clear on what we need to do, we have to have real clarity on out of possession, in possession, the behaviours and our principles that we need to get right.

"But it's up to the players once that whistle goes, the players have to go out and perform."

Of course, there are glaring differences between then and now.

Exeter are mid-table in League One, three points off the relegation places and Caldwell is in charge of a fan-owned club where, at the best of times, money is tight.

This season the club is drawing in its belt even more than usual as it pays for an overspend last season, with no wealthy benefactor to write cheques and fund losses.

But Caldwell has form with Exeter in this competition - last season they knocked out Championship side Oxford United in round three before being edged out of the fourth round on penalties by Premier League side Nottingham Forest - Exeter played all of extra time with 10 men that night.

"I kind of made a joke to the players to say when we played at Weston-super-Mare and when we played at FC United of Manchester in pre-season, the things we asked you to do on those days are still relevant when you go to Man City," he added.

"You just have to do them really, really, really well to make sure that you get it right.

"Nothing changes in how you play the game, it's still the same game, you're just playing against a level of player and a speed of player and a quality of player that is way above what you face every week, so you have to raise your game.

"We've done that before, we showed last year against Nottingham Forest what you can do in these big games and we're going to have to do the same again."

Another twist could come in the fact that Exeter's final training session before the big game will be at Manchester United's Carrington training ground.

Caldwell's connection with current United caretaker manager Darren Fletcher has meant Exeter can travel up on the Thursday before the game and train at the home of Manchester City's bitter rivals on the Friday.

And those rivals know all about an FA Cup scare at the hands of Exeter City.

At Old Trafford in 2005, a much-changed Manchester United were held to a goalless draw by then-non league Exeter, before the likes of Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo and Paul Scholes got the chance to grace St James Park and earn a 2-0 win in the televised replay.

Back then the money from the two games went a long way to securing the club's future as they battled debts of around £5m.

Fast forward to 2026 and Exeter again face financial issues - the Exeter City Supporters' Trust, which owns the club, has appealed to Manchester City to give the Grecians a bigger share of their gate money.

The Trust has loaned the club around £600,000 to keep them afloat this season, so any extra funds from a big FA Cup tie are not to be sniffed at.

"It will be a very welcome boost," club secretary Andy Gillard of the estimated £250,000 to £400,000 extra that the club will earn from the game.

"It won't be the be all and end all such as, perhaps as Old Trafford was, because it's just a different sort of nature, different type of game, different type of environment, but it will be all the more welcome."

Gillard knows all about the bad times - a stalwart of the club he was there in 2005 when Exeter were really struggling for cash.

"We're in no way as bad a position as we were back then," he told BBC Radio Devon.

"Club fortunes come and go, we're unused to anything like any kind of instability at Exeter City.

"We would survive without this, but this is of course helps us and makes those things just a little bit easier to manage off the pitch.

"We've still got to work hard, we've still got to work through it all, but this is just a welcome boost, it just gives you a little bit of a helping hand and gives everybody an enjoyable opportunity to pit our wits against one of the top teams in Europe."

Three of Exeter's last four away games have been to Huddersfield Town, Cardiff City and Bolton Wanderers - all stadiums that have hosted Premier League football.

It means Exeter's players, more used to the 8,700 capacity of St James Park, will not be as surprised with the scale of the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon

Goalkeeper Joe Whitworth is one of the few Exeter players to have experienced an away trip at Manchester City.

The 21-year-old, in his second season on loan at the Grecians from Crystal Palace, and was an unused substitute when the Eagles lost 1-0 at City in March 2023.

"We're going there to win. There's no doubt about it," he told BBC South West.

"I think that's the main mentality that the manager has instilled in us.

"Obviously, we are playing one of the best teams in the world, but we're looking to go and win and that's what we want to do.

"So that's our mentality and hopefully we can go there and put the best performance that we can in and see where that takes us."

Whitworth has become a firm favourite at Exeter since first joining in the summer of 2024.

He has played 78 times for City in that time and has kept 10 clean sheets this season as part of an Exeter side that have the second-meanest defence in League One.

The lifelong Palace fan is hoping he can emulate his colleagues at his parent club when they beat Manchester City in May's FA Cup final at Wembley.

"It was incredible to see," Whitworth said. "If we can do something like that over Man City that would be incredible.

"I love the lads and the team and the manager, we've got a great group and hopefully we can go to Man City and put on a performance that the fans will be proud of."